Apparatus and Methods for a Sports Gear Organizer

ABSTRACT

A wall mountable rack for storing balls, pucks, gloves, jerseys, sticks, bats, light gear and related accessories related to Lacrosse, Hockey, Baseball, Floorball, Field Hockey or any similar sport. The rack includes a wall mountable single piece body with vertically spaced, upper and lower shelf extending away from a connecting backing structure. The upper shelf comprises of concave pockets alternating with U-shaped indentations and having a lip like edge structure. The lower shelf has a similar structure which is a mirror image of the upper shelf.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/436,927 filed Dec. 20, 2016, entitled as “Sports Gear Organizer”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The field of this inventive subject matter is for organizers for sporting gear. Especially a multipurpose rack which can simultaneously hold different kinds of sporting gear, for example balls, bats, sticks, hangers, hats, gloves, shoes in a space efficient and organized manner.

BACKGROUND

A varied number of accessories are generally associated with the playing of any kind of sports, balls, bats, gloves, hats, gloves, uniforms and like. It is desirable to store these gears in an organized manner without cluttering.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,462 issued to Brooks describes a wall mountable sports equipment rack having a ball holder having an arcuate region and balancing leg.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,278 issued to Craft et al. describes a sports storage rack with a storage area and a raised upper shelf equipped to hold different sports accessories.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,890 issued to de Villers describes a sports equipment storage rack comprising two parallel support members with a transverse forwardly extending upper support member secured to an upper end of each the vertical support members.

The usual problems associated with the prior organizers is that they are designed for one type of sporting equipment. Accordingly, there exists a need for wall mountable, durable and light weight organizer to compactly and safely store variety of accessories associated with any kind of sports.

SUMMARY

The present inventive subject matter in an embodiment describes an apparatus for organizing sports gear in general, specifically an organizer which can simultaneously hold different kind of sporting gear, for example balls, bats, sticks, hangers and like in a space efficient manner.

The present inventive subject matter in another embodiment describes a wall mountable rack for storing balls, pucks, gloves, jerseys, sticks, bats, light gear and related accessories related to lacrosse, hockey, baseball, floorball, field hockey or any similar sport. The rack includes a wall mountable single piece body with vertically spaced, upper and lower shelf extending away from a connecting backing structure. The upper shelf of the wall mountable rack has a series of concave pockets alternating with U-shaped indentations and having a lip like edge structure. The lower shelf has a similar structure, which is a mirror image of the upper shelf of the wall mountable rack.

The present inventive subject matter in a yet another embodiment is an apparatus for organizing sports gear, specifically an organizer which has additional attachable hooks and inserts for holding more sporting accessories especially jerseys, hats, helmets, additional gear (i.e. gloves, elbow pads, etc.), backpacks, jackets, sweat shirts and the like.

The present inventive subject matter in another embodiment describes the method steps for an installation of the sports gear organizer on a wall.

These and other embodiments are described in more detail in the following detailed descriptions and the figures. The foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list of embodiments and features of the present inventive subject matter. Persons skilled in the art are capable of appreciating other embodiments and features from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 describes a perspective view of a sports gear organizer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 describes a close-up view of the sports gear organizer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 describes a front side view of the sports gear organizer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 describes a backside view of the sports gear organizer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 describes a left side/right side view of the sports gear organizer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 describes an isometric view of the of the sports gear organizer according to the embodiment mounted on a wall and supporting lacrosse and hockey sticks shown in broken line representation.

FIG. 7 describes a perspective view of a sports gear organizer according to another embodiment.

FIG. 8 describes a perspective view of a sports gear organizer according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9 describes the method steps for the installation of the sports gear organizer on a wall.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   100—Illustrates FIG. 1 -   110—Upper Shelf -   120—Lower Shelf -   130—Backing Structure -   131—Left side -   132—Right side -   133/134/135/136—Holes on backing structure -   140—Concave Pockets -   150—U Shaped indentations on upper shelf -   160—Convex pockets -   170—U Shaped indentations on lower shelf -   180—Upper shelf contour -   190—Lower shelf contour -   195—Holes on upper shelf -   196—Holes on lower shelf -   200—Illustrates FIG. 2 -   300—Illustrates FIG. 3 -   400—Illustrates FIG. 4 -   500—Illustrates FIG. 5 -   600—Illustrates FIG. 6 -   700—Illustrates FIG. 7 -   710—Double headed hook -   720—Upper end of double headed hook -   730—Lower end of double ended hook -   800—Illustrates FIG. 8 -   810—Bracket hook -   820—Bracket -   850—Snapping inserts -   900—Method steps flow chart -   910—Initial step -   920—Second step -   930—Third step -   940—Final step

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The sports gear organizer 100 of the present inventive subject matter according to a first embodiment is as described in FIG. 1. The sports gear organizer 100 includes an upper shelf 110 and a lower shelf 120, spaced apart and extending from a supporting backing structure 130. The upper shelf 110 is designed to have two or more adjacent concave pockets 140, which alternate with U-shaped indentations 150 in the plane of the upper shelf 110. The concave pockets 140 are designed for holding balls, pucks and similar accessories. The lower shelf has a similar structure as the upper shelf, with two or more adjacent convex pockets 160 alternating with U-shaped indentations 170 which match/mate with the positioning of the concave pockets 140 and U-shaped indentations 150 of the upper shelf. In an essence, the lower shelf can be described as a mirror image of the upper shelf. The upper shelf has a first lip like edge structure 180 facing vertically upwards from the plane of the upper shelf and contouring from one end of the backing 130 of the sports gear organizer to the other end. The lip like edge structure contours both the concave pockets 140 and the alternate U-shaped indentations 150. The lower shelf has a similar second lip like edge structure 190, which faces vertically downwards from the plane of the lower shelf. The upper and lower shelf 110/120 have a series of reinforced apertures 195/196 in the spacing between the concave/convex pockets 140/160 and the lip like edge structures 180/190 respectively. The backing structure 130 of the sports gear organizer 100 has two pairs 133/134/135/136 of reinforced holes nearing to the left and right side 131/132 of the sports gear organizer 100 respectively, to assist in wall mounting of the structure.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view 200 of the sports gear organizer 100 according to the first embodiment. It can be clearly visualized that the lip-like edge structure 180 adds further depth to the concave pockets and the U-shaped indentations acquire a well-defined edge at the upper shelf 110.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, FIG. 3 refers to a front side view 300 and FIG. 5 refers to the right/left side view 500 of the sports gear organizer 100 according to the first embodiment. The upper shelf 110 mirror imaging the lower shelf 120 can be clearly visualized by these two FIGs. The backing structure 130 of the sports gear organizer has two pair of reinforced holes 133/134/135/136 to assist in wall mounting of the structure. The reinforced holes structures can be clearly visualized in 300 and 400. By means of the illustrated arrangement of using reinforced holes, heavy items such as coats or the like which may be hung upon the organizer exert stress directly against the screws insert into the holes for mounting rather than the backing 130 which protects the organizer from overload.

Referring to FIG. 4, 400 represents the backside view of the sports gear organizer 100 according to the first embodiment. The other end of the holes 133/134/135/136 can be clearly visualized and the backside of the backing is plane flat, which would help in attaching the structure in a more adhesive way to the wall.

Referring to FIG. 6, 600 represent an isometric view of the of the sports gear organizer 100 according to the first embodiment mounted on a wall and supporting balls and pucks in concave pockets 140 or in spacing behind the U-shaped indentations 150/170, lacrosse sticks and hockey sticks held in the U-shaped indentations 150/170, a pair of gloves hanged on to the holes 196 with a hooked rope and a jersey hanged on to a hanger and further hanged on to the holes 196 of the sports gear organizer. All accessories shown in broken line representation.

In a preferred embodiment, the dimensions of the sports gear organizer 100 would be as follows. A height ranging between 4.00 to 5.00 inches (typical separation between the upper shelf 110 and the lower shelf 120), a length ranging between 23 to 25 inches and depth ranging between 3.00 to 4.00 inches and the organizer can hold up to 55 to 65 pounds of overall weight. In a varied combination, the sports gear organizer can accommodate 5 to 7 bats/sticks in the U-shaped indentations 150/170, 5-6 balls/pucks in the concave/convex pockets 140/160, several jerseys/sweatshirts and similar gear and equipment. The organizer can be mounted at any height for users of different heights and ages and is perfect decluttering solution for homes, garages and rooms and athletic centers. The organizer provides for easy/quick installation procedures and installs into studs or drywall with the help of common tools from a tool box. The series of holes on the upper shelf and lower shelf are designed to pair up to hold prospective attachments such as hooks, holders, clasps or similar specific attachments for holding different sporting goods and accessories.

The sports gear organizer 100 of the present inventive subject matter according to another embodiment is as described at 700 as in FIG. 7. The sports gear organizer 100 as described in FIG. 1, is attached with double headed hook 710. The double headed hook 710 can be attached to any of a pair of reinforced apertures 195/196 belonging to the upper shelf 110 and the lower shelf 120. These double headed hooks 710 are easily detachable. The double headed hook has an upper hook head 720 and a lower hook head 730, which can be used to hang accessories like jerseys, sweatshirts, jackets and similar gear related to any sports. sports rack's features allow you to hang/store skateboards, helmets and light equipment/gear.

The sports gear organizer 100 of the present inventive subject matter according to another embodiment is as described at 800 as in FIG. 8. A bracket hook 810 with a bracket 820 can be attached between any of a pair of reinforced apertures 195/196 belonging to the upper shelf 110 and the lower shelf 120. The bracket hook 810 can be used to hold on to different bats, including but not limited to baseball bats and tennis rackets. Any other hook attachments, which fall in the scope of the inventive subject matter can be used attached to any of a pair of reinforced apertures 195/196 belonging to the upper shelf 110 and the lower shelf 120. The spacing of any of the U-shaped indentations 150 of the upper shelf 110 or the U-shaped indentations 170 of the lower shelf 120 can be adjusted by inserting snapping inserts 850, thus making way for hanging sports accessories with narrow space requirements. The snapping inserts 850 can be easily attached and detached into the U-shaped indentations 150/170 of the upper shelf 110 or lower shelf 120. In a typical sports gear organizer 100, the spacing of the U-shaped indentations 150/170 ranges between 0.86 to 0.88 inches. By inserting the snapping inserts 850, the spacing of the U-shaped indentations 150/170 can be reduced by 1.5% of its original spacing.

The sports gear organizer 100 of the present invention is preferably constructed of a suitable high strength plastic, which may be formed by conventional molding techniques. It will be understood that while provision has been made for mounting 5-6 bats/sticks on the upper/lower shelf 110/120, any number of indentations may be provided for mounting any desired number of bats. In addition, while the double headed hooks 710, bracket hook 810, snapping inserts 850 are preferably constructed of plastic, it will be understood that they may be formed from any other suitable material depending on the desired use.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 describes a method for installing the sports gear organizer 100 on a mounting wall. The initial step 910 includes marking one or more pairs of screw locations on a wall. The second step 920 involves to align the screw locations to the one or more pair of reinforced holes on a backing structure of the sports gear organizer. The third step 930 involves to insert one or more pair of screws into the wall through the reinforced holes and the final step 940 includes to check the stability of the sports gear organizer and hanging different sports gear on the sports gear organizer.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the sports gear organizer 100 of the present inventive subject matter includes means for storing different sized balls without the need for any special placements. In addition, the lip like edge structures 180/190 helps in holding on the accessories in place.

The many aspects and benefits of the invention are apparent from the detailed description, and thus, it is intended for the following claims to cover all such aspects and benefits of the invention which fall within the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, because numerous modifications and variations will be obvious and readily occur to those skilled in the art, the claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described herein. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents should be understood to fall within the scope of the invention as claimed herein. 

1. A sports gear organizer comprising: an upper shelf with two or more concave pockets alternating with U-shaped indentations and a first edge structure contouring the upper shelf; a lower shelf with two or more convex pockets alternating with U-shaped indentations and a second edge structure contouring the lower shelf; the upper shelf and the lower shelf are vertically spaced and project away from a connecting backing structure.
 2. The sports gear organizer described in claim 1, wherein the backing structure has at least two pairs of reinforced holes to assist in wall mounting.
 3. The sports gear organizer described in claim 1, wherein the upper shelf structure is a mirror image of the lower shelf structure.
 4. The sports gear organizer described in claim 1, wherein the upper shelf has a hole in the spacing between the one or more concave packets and the edge structure contouring the upper shelf.
 5. The sports gear organizer described in claim 1, wherein the lower shelf has a hole in the spacing between the one or more convex packets and the edge structure contouring the lower shelf.
 6. The sports gear organizer described in claim 1, wherein a double headed hook can be attached to a pair of holes belonging to one from the upper shelf and to one from a lower shelf respectively.
 7. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the U-shaped indentations of the upper shelf and the U-shaped indentation of the lower shelf align with each other.
 8. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the concave pockets of the upper shelf align above the convex pockets of the lower shelf are separated by a distance of separation between the upper shelf and the lower shelf.
 9. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the height of the sports gear organizer ranges between 4.00 to 5.00 inches.
 10. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the length of the sports gear organizer ranges between 23.00 to 25.00 inches.
 11. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the depth of the sports gear organizer ranges between 3.00 to 4.00 inches.
 12. The sports gear organizer as described in claim 1, wherein the sports gear organizer is made of a plastic material.
 13. A method of installing a sports gear organizer on a wall, comprising: marking one or more pairs of screw locations on a wall; aligning the screw locations to the one or more pair of reinforced holes on a backing structure of the sports gear organizer; and inserting one or more pair of screws into the wall through the reinforced holes.
 14. The method of installing a sports gear organizer on a wall as described in claim 10, further comprising, attaching one or more hooks to the sports gear organizer through apertures in an upper shelf and a lower shelf. 